Senate Votes to Stand With Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood and its millions of patients can rest a little easier after a bumpy, uncomfortable summer, as Senate Democrats blocked an effort led by Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) to defund the organization on Monday. The effort was spurred by the release of heavily edited, possibly illegally-filmed tapes released by anti-abortion activists over the course of the past few weeks. Nearly half of Planned Parenthood's funding—more than $500 million—comes from the federal government. The organization is reimbursed for procedures that cover the full scope of women's health, like cancer screenings and STD counseling and testing. Planned Parenthood rarely uses federal funding to pay for abortions—it's only in cases that involve rape or incest. The Senate vote came in at 53 to 46—scarily close considering how many Republicans actually voted in favor of using aborted fetal tissue for scientific research. There's still a looming chance that Planned Parenthood's troubles are far from over, as some conservatives are ready to shut down the government if federal funding isn't removed for Planned Parenthood by the fall session. Luckily, Planned Parenthood supporters are coming out and becoming more and more vocal among the outcry. This speech by Senator Elizabeth Warren pretty much sums it

Planned Parenthood and its millions of patients can rest a little easier after a bumpy, uncomfortable summer, as Senate Democrats blocked an effort led by Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) to defund the organization on Monday. The effort was spurred by the release of heavily edited, possibly illegally-filmed tapes released by anti-abortion activists over the course of the past few weeks.

Nearly half of Planned Parenthood's funding—more than $500 million—comes from the federal government. The organization is reimbursed for procedures that cover the full scope of women's health, like cancer screenings and STD counseling and testing. Planned Parenthood rarely uses federal funding to pay for abortions—it's only in cases that involve rape or incest. The Senate vote came in at 53 to 46—scarily close considering how many Republicans actually voted in favor of using aborted fetal tissue for scientific research.

There's still a looming chance that Planned Parenthood's troubles are far from over, as some conservatives are ready to shut down the government if federal funding isn't removed for Planned Parenthood by the fall session. Luckily, Planned Parenthood supporters are coming out and becoming more and more vocal among the outcry.

This speech by Senator Elizabeth Warren pretty much sums it up:

If you want to get involved and show that you #StandWithPP, you can sign a card to show your support or change your Facebook profile picture on their website.